BY: GODFRED ANKU KAALI
Oyoko Methodist Senior High School (OMESS) has emerged winners of the maiden Innovate Koforidua Challenge, an initiative aimed at nurturing technological creativity among young people in the Eastern Region.
The competition, held under the theme “Koforidua 2025: Youth Innovation for Sustainable Health and Environment,” forms part of the TechTown Koftown Project spearheaded by the Eastern Tech Hub Foundation in collaboration with Fondation Botnar. The initiative seeks to unearth, train, and showcase young innovators developing technology-driven solutions to real-world challenges in health, sanitation, and environmental sustainability.
As part of the project, the Eastern Tech Hub Foundation established robotics clubs in seven senior high schools in Koforidua and provided months of intensive training to equip students with the skills needed to tackle community challenges through innovation.
The participating schools included Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary (POJOSS), Seventh-day Adventist Senior High School (SEDASS), Koforidua Senior High Technical School (SECTECH), Oti Boateng Senior High School (OBOSS), New Juaben Senior High School (NJUASCO), Oyoko Methodist Senior High School (OMESS), and Koforidua Technical Institute (KOTECH).
In his address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Tech Hub Foundation, Jones Amarkai Amarteifio, said the Foundation envisions transforming Koforidua into Ghana’s first tech city by creating a hub where young innovators and startups can thrive.
“Our goal is to make Koforidua a hub of innovation where ideas are not just imagined but developed into real solutions that improve lives,” he said.
He added that youth-driven innovation holds the key to addressing Ghana’s health, sanitation, and environmental sustainability challenges.
The Eastern Regional School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Godfried Ofoe Caesar, commended the initiative, describing it as a crucial step toward preparing students to play development roles in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
“In today’s knowledge-driven economy, equipping the youth with digital literacy and technological competence enables them to contribute meaningfully to their communities by creating practical solutions to real-life challenges and driving societal transformation,” he said.
He noted that the future of Ghana’s development depends on how effectively young people apply technology and creativity to address everyday problems.
Two teams each from the seven participating schools showcased innovative projects, including prototypes and mobile applications aimed at improving community health, smart systems for waste management, and creative ideas for a cleaner, greener environment.
The two teams from Oyoko Methodist Senior High School placed first and third, receiving ₵10,000 and ₵3,000 respectively, while New Juaben Senior High School came in second, earning ₵6,000. The top three teams are set to receive further support to refine and scale their innovations.
A member of the OMESS robotics team, Jackson Bimpong Pokua Tamarah, expressed delight at winning the challenge and appealed for support to sustain the initiative and advance their project.
“We had hope in our project and we are very excited that we won this challenge. We want government to support us to refine our innovation and scale it up to help promote hand hygiene nationwide,” she said.
